Mad as a Hatter
by DreamxMaker
Summary: Scarlett, aka the mad hatter, needs to learn to control her temper when a mother she thought abandoned her finds her again and inducts her into a world that she wants no part of. Please read and review, I'll put more chapters if people ask. Just saying, it starts in Maddie's 6th year she is in the same year as Harry and finishes in her 7th
1. Prologue

**Just saying I don't own HP :-( If there's any grammar issues please tell me (I suck majorly at grammar so… yeah) I hope you enjoy :-D**

Prologue

"Nurse, you're supposed to be the one shutting my wife up!" Rodolphus Lestrange hollered over Bellatrix's pained screams coming from the upstairs bedroom.

"Of course, sir," Sampson said, keeping a level-head, he was here to help with the birth anyway. He scurried up the stairs. _I would have never gone into nursing if I knew this is what I would have to deal with. My wife has had three kids! I'm sick of this!_ He thought, wishing he could be in Rodolphus' position, not having to care what was going on around him, having enough money to pay people to do whatever he wanted; it was frustrating when Sampson could barely afford his rented house.

"Doctor, how is everything?" he asked when he reached the bedroom.

"Get me my god-damned husband!" Bellatrix interrupted, "I will murder his ass for putting this baby in me!"

"Ok Bellatrix, you're doing great, you're going to have to push… now," the doctor was able to remain level-headed and calm, which was quite a feat considering his patient was an insane mad-woman.

"I'll leave you to it, then, Doctor." Sampson scurried back down the stairs, but on sock-feet this time. _I'll just have to put a silence spell on his door;_ Sampson cast the spell, very sophisticated and high-level spell for a mere nurse. For a while he sat in a chair in the hallway, but he had experience, he wouldn't be sitting for long…

"Sampson!" the doctor called from upstairs. He rushed up the stairs to see the doctor cradling a little baby, already cleaned and swaddled in a little pink blanket. Bellatrix stared at the baby with utter disgust in her eyes.

"Get that thing away from me!" she commanded.

"It's a girl," the doctor smiled, ignoring Bellatrix's feigned groans of pain to get herself sleeping pills.

"She's beautiful," Sampson cooed the baby stared at him with untrusting eyes. _Well, she inherited that from her mother._ Sampson thought. Other than the lack of trust, though, the baby was nothing like her mother, she had enormous brown eyes and dark red tufts of hair.

"You know if you like her so much you can keep her," Bellatrix directed the attention back on herself, "and no I'm not joking, I wouldn't be a good mother," she said in response to Sampson's questioning expression.

"I can't Bellatrix, I already have three kids at home, but she is adorable," the more Sampson looked at her the more the baby began to trust him, her solid expression never really changed, but he could tell she was reading him the way only babies can.

"Fine, then at least name her, 'cause I sure as hell won't," she probably thought if he named the baby he would get attached, but he had never named a baby before, and he had a perfect idea.

"Is her hair color going to change, Doctor?" he asked, concentrating more on the baby than the doctor.

"Most likely not, although it may vary in degree of lightness or darkness, it will most likely stay red," the doctor was starting to get annoyed, "but I need a name now, Sampson."

"Scarlett," Sampson said to the baby softly to test it out, in response the baby blinked in an over-exaggerated way, if babies can exaggerate, he took this as a 'yes, I love that name'. "Scarlett," he repeated, louder this time so the doctor could take it down in his little, leather-bound notebook that held a list of all his clients.

"Scarlett Lestrange doesn't feel right to me, but ok," the doctor said as he wrote.

"No!" Bellatrix screamed, interrupting the doctor's careful calligraphy-like handwriting. _Just like your mother to make a big deal out of everything._ Sampson thought to Scarlett, for a split second he thought she rolled her eyes in agreement, but that's impossible. "Rodolphus and I are not keeping that baby!"

"Bellatrix, I would beg you to reconsider-"

"No!" she interrupted the doctor.

"Bellatrix-"

"Madame Lestrange to you," she had a lot of confidence for a woman lying in her bed. _Madame Lestrange my ass._

"I would advise you to keep this child, studies show that-"

"I don't give a damn what studies show! I am not keeping this child! So, Mr. Sampson, you have a choice, you can take the baby, or I will put it out on the street." She was unmovable now, once she got a lunatic idea in her head it never came out.

"Bellatrix, why don't I take Scarlett and-"

"No, only Sampson can take the baby!" the doctor pulled Sampson aside.

"Listen, I know a few pretty good orphanages that can make room for her so… Sampson are you listening?" Actually, he wasn't, he was looking down at this beautiful little girl in his arms, thinking how no child should be put through this.

"Fine, I'll keep her," he agreed without thinking.

"Sampson, you can't she's only doing this so she can sue you for kidnapping her baby. Take her and put her in the orphanage." The doctor was right; if Sampson did get sued his wife would never forgive him, especially if it was over some baby that wasn't even his.

"Ok, but I feel bad about this," the doctor put a solid hand on Sampson's shoulder.

"I know, I have to do this more times than I can count, it's never easy, but she'll be better off like this," Sampson nodded, although the only part of the doctor's speech he believed was that it was always hard.

"Ok Bellatrix, this child is going to go into an orphanage in London called Wool's Orphanage, this is your last chance, are you sure you want to go through with this?" Bellatrix nodded vigorously, _she wants nothing more than to get rid of this child._ Sampson thought, irrationally angry.

Sampson was startled awake by a baby's screeching cry. _5:00_, he thought. He rolled over to find that his wife, Maria, was already awake.

"Are you going to deal with her?" he asked when he saw his wife in the kitchen. She was holding a thermometer in their youngest son's mouth.

"Sweetie, your temperature is 54º; we have to take you to the hospital because you're a dead man walking, unless, of course, you're a zombie," Maria joked to their ten year old son. "Next time don't run it under boiling water. Now go get dressed," he scampered off, upset that his mother actually knew at what temperature a human being was dead.

"Are you going to get her?" Sampson repeated, although Scarlett's screams had subsided somewhat.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about that," she said, rubbing the bridge of her nose and settling into a chair, "you need to get that child out of my house,"

"Maria, she has nowhere to go and-"

"Then put her in an orphanage!" she snapped. She continued more clam, "I know you're intentions are good, but she's a new-born baby, I have already had to deal with three of those and I don't want to do that again."

"Fine, I guess I have to," Maria seemed surprised at such a simple victory, but ruled out the possibility of arguing.

Sampson mulled over the list of orphanages that the doctor had given him as he got dressed. _Saint Joseph's seems too religious, Shady Oaks seemed too much like a retirement home, but Wool's did seem okay._ He made his decision; Wool's Orphanage did have a reputation for caring for witches and wizards, so Scarlett would be able to go to Hogwarts without a problem.

London was its average foggy self when Sampson apparated near the orphanage with a quite pale little baby.

"I'm sorry I had to apparate, Lettie, but there's no other way to get here," Scarlett quickly recovered and, although she was still slightly pale, smiled up at her caretaker.

When he reached the door to the orphanage he had carefully inspected and chose Sampson gently set Scarlett on the stoop.

"Okay, Lettie, I'm going to have to leave you here. I can't tell them how I got you, so we'll have to part ways. But I'll find you again when you go into Hogwarts." He kissed her forehead and rang the doorbell. After a final parting look he apparated, leaving the baby on the chilly doorstep, with only a blanket as protection.

"Yes?" The elderly woman that ran the orphanage opened the door. She looked down and saw the baby glaring at her, "another one! My lord, when are people goin' a' learn that you 'ave to come in to drop off a babe, not just leave it on me door step! Oh well, come with me child, we'll 'ave to find you a place, now wont we." She bent down, her back cracking with old age, and lifted the reluctantly squirming baby. "What? You don't trust me? I doubt you'll get over that, they never do, but come on in, we've got room for ya,"


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter I

Bellatrix dragged me up the exaggeratedly long walkway.

"Couldn't we just have apparated, Trixie?" I whined.

"No! And don't call me that I am your mother!" she snapped, viciously. I rolled my eyes even though the effect was lost on the back of her head, I had just met this woman, who was to say she wasn't just pretending to be my mother so she could take what little money I had, or something.

Trixie lifted her left arm at the gate, and we passed through like we were simply walking through a light mist, nothing to be surprised by.

"Now, I want you to be on your best behavior, Scarlett," my mother ordered in her voice like nails that I was sure I'd never get used to.

"Don't call me Scarlett." I replied shortly. Trixie laughed evilly.

"You would rather I, your mother, call you by that ridiculous street name?" she laughed again. I wrenched my arm from her grasp and stared into the black-holes she called eyes. I was slightly taller than her, but she had the commanding attitude that knocked everyone down a peg or two. This was only one thing of the long list of things I hated about this woman.

"First of all, it's not ridiculous. Second of all, it's not a street name, it's a nickname. And more importantly don't you dare call yourself my mother." I hissed, in a vicious voice I used very rarely.

"The Mad Hatter, you call that a nickname?" she challenged in a tone matching my own, "and I am your mother."

"Would a mother leave her daughter to rot in a disgusting orphanage and only bother finding her when she becomes old enough to serve?" she glared at me, but I had gotten used to ignoring the evil-eye and walked on up the driveway.

I was about to knock when Trixie pushed past me and opened the door without a warning. Outside of the only room with closed doors, I figured this was where the "meeting" was being held, Trixie stopped me and glared at me again.

"Everyone's probably already sitting down. I will introduce you. You will not speak. You will not touch anything. You will not shake hands with anyone. You will not even breathe. Do you understand?" I nodded and we continued into the room.

_Fat chance I'm gonna obey your orders, bitch._ I thought, shooting machine-gun bullets out of my eyes and at the back of Trixie's head.

When we entered the room Trixie was actually right. There were a lot of people seated at the long table, but there were a lot of empty chairs. At the head of the table was the snake-like man that was revered by Trixie, and hated or feared by the rest of the world. _Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort._ I thought, immunizing myself against the name and the bad luck it brought. I wasn't an especially superstitious person but I always had an acorn necklace lying against my chest, only an acorn because they were considered lucky in Norse mythology.

Trixie tugged my arm and brought me to the man at the head of the table. _Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort._ I repeated attempting to further immunize myself, finding my necklace and rolling it back and forth in my fingers. Trixie bowed her head to Voldemort.

"My lord, this is my daughter, she is eager to serve," Trixie lied, I blatantly rolled my eyes, Voldemort took notice and I could see a faint smile playing on the edges of his mouth.

"Child, what is your name?" he asked in a high-pitched voice.

"Her name is Scarlett," Trixie interrupted.

"I asked the girl!" Voldemort screeched, Trixie bowed her head and stepped back a little.

"She lied, she's not my mother and my name is Mad Hatter, people call me Hatter," I paused, thinking, "They also call me Maddie if I'm trying to blend in."

Voldemort nodded our cue to leave. Trixie bowed her head again and circled around to sit next to a pale blonde woman that looked like she would rather be anywhere but there. I figured that must have been Narcissa, Trixie had mentioned her in passing. I considered following, but held my ground instead.

"I have a few questions," I ventured, Voldemort looked up at me, surprised I was still there. I could feel the eyes around the table darting between us. I continued before he could object. "Why are there no women here? You know what, let me rephrase that. Why are there no sane female death-eaters?"

"There's your mother," Voldemort decided to humor me, but I didn't know how long that would last.

"Well, yeah, but she's bat-shit crazy. And, yes there's little miss narcissist over there," I motioned to the woman next to Trixie.

"My name is Narcissa," she squeaked.

I rolled my eyes. "That's not my fault, sweetie. Your parents were just as crazy as Trixie. Anyway, there's little miss narcissist, but she isn't a death-eater. Is she?" I looked to Voldemort for conformation.

"You have a keen sense of the hidden. You are correct; Narcissa hides behind the allegiances of her husband so that, when the time comes, she can deny any relations with my death-eaters." I caught the underlying anger in Voldemort's otherwise cool voice and looked to Narcissa. She had her head down, most likely because everything Voldemort said was true.

"Also, are you racist or something?" this one caught Voldemort by surprise. I hurried to explain, "I mean I don't see any non-white death-eaters. It just seems odd, like did you go out of your way to make sure that happened, or did it just end up that way?" Voldemort stared at me for a while, I was half-expecting him to take out his wand and kill me, or something. Instead he started laughing, it was a terrifying laugh that seemed to say, 'I'm the only one allowed to laugh at this joke, and if anyone else tries I'll kill them'.

"Sit down, girl," he commanded the laugh automatically disappearing from his voice. I decided that following orders, for now at least, would be the best thing to do.

I reluctantly sat beside Trixie. She glared at me and I knew she was going to give me an earful if I survived this meeting. Something told me that because of my natural bitchiness and reluctance to ever shut-up I wouldn't have to spend much time in the ranks of the death-eaters.

Soon two death-eaters came in, in front of them was an unconscious woman bound by invisible ropes. I recognized her as Professor Burbage, teacher of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. I had been one of two Muggles that bothered to take the class, yes I called myself a Muggle, and we were her go-to people for fact-checking. I whipped out my iPhone, I was very proud of said phone because I had saved my money for ages trying to afford it. I dashed off a text to the other Muggle in Muggle Studies, who happened to live on Professor Burbage's street in downtown London. _Has the burbs, been by ur house?_ I asked. Seconds later my phone buzzed. _Naw, man… I think there was sumthin in the prophet bout her bein missin r sumthin_. I thought for a minute. _I think I found her_. I ignored my phone's constant buzzing and paid attention to the room around me.

The death-eaters dropped Burbage in the middle of the table, this startled her awake and she looked around.

"Maddie?" Burbage asked she was one of the few teachers that obeyed my wishes to be called by the name I chose. "Maddie, what's going on?" she was starting to panic.

"Are you Charity Burbage?" Voldemort called from his perch at the head of the table. She craned her neck to see who had spoken, when she noticed who it was her pale face went even whiter and her eyes widened.

"Y-yes," she stuttered. Voldemort flicked his wand and she was lifted so that she was floating above the table and facing him.

"You're the professor of Muggle Studies?" She nodded. He flicked his wand again and she fell to the table, unconscious yet again.

Suddenly, Professor Snape and another death-eater came in. Snape took notice of me and my pale face and went to Voldemort. They spoke in hushed tones for a moment then Snape sat and Voldemort addressed Narcissa.

"Narcissa, I am hungry. Take your son and niece and get me something," Narcissa nodded and Draco stood. Trixie nudged me with her elbow and I stood, noticing Narcissa must be my aunt.

I followed them into the kitchen in total silence.

"Mother, when are we going to get more house-elves? I'm sick of doing everything by myself." Draco whined.

"Shut up," Narcissa hissed. _She's still probably pissed at my narcissist comment._ I thought. When we got to the kitchen Narcissa stopped and turned and scowled at me.

"Listen to me, you little brat. Bellatrix didn't raise you, so you don't know how manners work. A respectable pure-blood does not insult a person in their own home." I held her gaze, deciding I better just talk and not think about the consequences.

"Voldemort didn't seem to have a problem with insulting you. And also, I'm not pure-blood, I grew up a Muggle and I will forever be a Muggle. If you have a problem with that then you should probably get pissed at your sis, not me."

Narcissa just scowled at me some more, at a loss for a come-back, and turned back to the counter. I started to walk to the door, considering how long it would take me to reach a road with enough cars to hitch-hike when Draco grabbed my arm. I acted defensively instinctively even though I knew who it was. I threw off his hand and twisted his arm behind his back.

"Uncle," he cried.

"Oh, sorry, it's an instinct more than anything else," I said releasing him.

"Listen, about what my mum said she was just embarrassed. She probably doesn't actually think you're a brat," I laughed at his assumption.

"Don't worry; I've been called a lot of names that would make your pale face turn red being called a brat doesn't faze me anymore."

"So," he paused, considering whether to continue, "You're in Slytherin right?"

"Yeah, why" I asked suspiciously.

"Well, maybe you could hang out with me and my friends sometimes, I'm sure they'd like you," he smiled. I nodded, wondering why he would want me, a "Muggle-sympathizer", anywhere near his friends.

"Children!" Narcissa shrieked. I considered leaving, but it was easier to just stay.

When we entered Professor Burbage was being devoured by a snake. I could hear Draco's teeth chattering behind me and the tray Narcissa was carrying was shaking audibly. It took all my willpower to stop my gag-reflex from acting up. Narcissa deposited the tray in front of Voldemort. He didn't look like he was actually going to eat any of it. The death-eaters kept talking about various subjects I cared nothing about, so I whipped out my cell-phone. Evan, the Muggle I was texting previously, had sent me nearly twenty texts.

Evan: _Wat do u mean u found her_

Evan: _Lettie…_ Evan was the only person I let call me by my given name.

Evan: _Lettie r u ignoring me r sumthin?_

Evan: _LETTIE! ANSWER ME GODDAMMIT!_

Evan: _R u ok… y rn't u answering…_

Evan: _U can be a bitch sumtimes u no_

Evan: _ANSWER ME!_

Evan: _Fine… u can consider this friendship ovr_

Evan: _…_

Evan: _…_

Evan: _Lettie… I wuz jking_

Evan: _R u mad mi r sumthin…_

Evan: _Im srry if i did sumthin…_

Evan: _Kay if ur hurt call the fuzz…_

Evan: _I no u hate them but do it…_

Evan: _Txt mi when u get a chance… _

I figured I had been ignoring Evan for long enough.

Lettie: _Im sooooo srry… im not mad u (ill luv u 4evr u no that) ive just been…_

Evan: _Well thank god ur ok! But uve just been wat?_

Lettie: _ive been busy…_

Evan: _ok… r u still w/ ur insane mum_

Lettie: _in a way…_

Evan: _in a way? U no u can call __dyfs__ on that bitchs ass_

Lettie: _calm down…_

Evan: _wat…_

Lettie: _wat wat?_

Evan: _she says innocently… u were gonna say sumthin more_

Lettie: _if I need to can I swing by ur place_

Evan: _I knew it! That bitch is beatin u up r sumthin!_

Lettie: _no shes not… I just don't rlly enjoy her company…_

Evan: _normally I wood say no probs… but mi nd the rents r out o town…_

Lettie: _o…_

Evan: _Im really srry…_

Lettie:_ Its not ur fault… I have other places to go…_

Evan: _U sure_

Lettie:_ Ya… u no wat i gtg… Ill txt u when i get a chance_

Evan:_ k… remember if u hav 2 call the fuzz…_

Lettie:_ I will_

Evan:_ k… bi…_

I could tell he was reluctant to say bye, but I turned off my phone and looked up.

"You may all leave," Voldemort was saying, "but, Miss Lestrange, you stay." I figured I didn't have much of a choice so I stayed where I was, never breaking eye-contact with Voldemort. When all the death-eaters had left, none caring that a young girl was being left alone in a room with a strange man, I spoke first.

"Is there something you want from me?" I asked in as calm a voice I could muster. Voldemort put the tips of his fingers together, also known as steepling, and rested them against his chin. I decided to go one step higher and sit back, steepling behind my head. I raised my eyebrow inquisitively.

"I have a few questions. First of all, why did you say Bella is not your mother?" I snorted at this prying and quite obnoxious question.

"I said she isn't because she isn't. She ditched me in an orphanage and when that orphanage was shut down she didn't even bother to check on me." I leaned forward, over the table so I could see into Voldemort's red eyes. "and then, when I decided to travel she didn't even stop me from leaving the country."

"What orphanage were you at?" I rolled my eyes at his choice of question and sat back again.

"It was this place called Wool's, it was named after some older orphanage or something." Voldemort's dead eyes sparked with curiosity, but he ignored it and went onto his next question.

"What do you mean when you say you've traveled?"

"I've been all over, I figured I was bored with begging in England and stowed away on a boat to France. Then I traveled with some gypsies for a while, crossed a few borders. I basically been all over Europe, you know, all the clichés. I learnt how to drink in Germany, how to make the best food in France, how to properly sleep around in Italy, how to relax in Spain, how to play the piano in Austria, et cetera, et cetera." I listed some of my experiences in a dull voice; it was more fun telling people my age about places they had never heard of before.

"Fascinating, you will have to tell me more about your exploits at a later date. Now I have another question, why do you call yourself the Mad Hatter?" I smiled at this story, I was always eager to give the tale of the origin of my name.

"Well, I had just gotten to France, and met a few gypsies my age. They were great and they had the best names. I had always hated my name, especially after I dyed my hair, because I'm named after my hair and-"

"Why did you dye your hair?" he interrupted. I twirled a lock of my now light brown hair around my finger.

"Well, I had red hair, and if you're trying to blend into a crowd to avoid the police it's easiest when you can't be noticed by your hair color." Voldemort nodded in understanding. "Anyway, they had really cool names and I wanted to join their family for a while so I picked out an alias." I put my hand up to stem the flow of questions. "I know you're going to ask why I chose Mad Hatter, it was because I was in love with Alice in Wonderland, I always wished I could escape this world and go to a better one."

"But why the Mad Hatter, why not a girl name, why not Alice?" he asked. I shrugged; I had no real answer to that.

"I thought about Alice, I guess it just seemed to average." Was the best answer I could come up with. Voldemort stared at me and I found my hand once again going to my acorn necklace. He studied me for what felt like a century but eventually…

"You may go now," he said dismissing me with a wave of his hand.

Almost as soon as he spoke his snake slithered up his arm and around his neck. I walked out of the room knowing I wasn't going to come back to Malfoy Manor anytime soon.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I followed a gravel road holding my phone in front of me as a light and GPS.

"It says this stupid road leads to a highway, but I don't see anything," I muttered to myself, a habit I had picked up from being alone so much.

I hissed at my phone, trying to make it make the walk easier, but even a smart phone can't make terrible shoes into good walking shoes. I sat on a large rock on the side of the road and rubbed my aching foot.

"Why did you wear these stupid shoes, stupid?" I yelled at myself. Suddenly a car pulled over in front of me. I stood and went to the door. Inside were a man and woman and in the back a young child was sleeping in her car-seat.

"Are you lost, honey?" the woman asked in a sweet voice. I summoned a few tears and clicked off my phone so they wouldn't know I was everything but lost.

"Y-y-yes," I started fake-crying.

"Don't you worry; we'll get you home safe and sound. Just hop in the back next to Carly and tell us where you live and we're off." The woman smiled and I dramatically wiped my tears away. But I hadn't thought of where I would go, and then an idea popped into my head, prompted by the name Carly.

"Thanks, and you could just drop me off on the corner of Trinity and Battersea, I live close to there." I pulled open the door and settled in.

"So what did you say you're name was?" the man asked. I just noticed he hadn't spoken at all, understandable considering he had a rough voice that would've scared me off if I had heard it before.

"Carla Garcia," I said, taking the name of a friend I had met in Spain in case they wanted to look me up. She was more like an over-protective mother and inducted me as the only girl in her four-boy family.

"Hmm," he said, probably not believing me, judging by my pale skin I wouldn't believe me either.

I looked to the sleeping Carly, but when I met her eyes they were open and she was staring at me intently.

"Hi," I said softly, smiling sweetly.

"Who are you?" she asked in a sharp voice.

"Carla Gar-" I began.

"I meant who are you really?" I smiled; the keen senses of children always amazed me.

"Do you really want to know the truth?" I whispered, leaning in slightly. Her eyes sparkled and she nearly pressed her face against mine.

"Yes!"

"Are you sure. It could be," I paused looking around and continued in a quiet voice, "dangerous."

"I'm sure!" she squealed, causing her mother to turn and raise an eyebrow at us, Carly smiled and waved like we were just discussing the weather.

"Ok, I'm a witch and I was taken here by my evil step-mother," I figured step-mother sounded better than mother, "she wants me to serve the most evil wizard in all history but I don't want to, so I ran away." I smiled at Carly's grin of utter disbelief.

"You're lying," she said, leaning back in her car-seat.

"I'm not, I'm telling the whole truth. Give me a bible and I'll be sworn in," I said, lifting my right hand and placing the left on my lap. She giggled.

"Ok, I believe you," she joked; I knew she would never believe me, even though I was telling the truth, mostly.

"We're here, Carla," the woman sang from the passenger's seat.

"Thanks so much," I said, stepping out of the car, and then an idea popped into my head, "can I ask your name?"

"Of course, sweetie, my name is Amanda, and this is my husband, George, and you already know Carly."

"I meant your last name," I smiled, not trying to sound like I wanted to stalk them.

"Well, my maiden name is Benfield, but now it's Valentine," Amanda smiled and waved as they kept driving.

_Amanda (mother, maiden name Benfield), George (father) and Carly (young girl, maybe 5 or 6) Valentine. Helped drive me to Carla's. Good people, can help if needed._ I scrawled in the little address book I always had with me. In it were the names, and sometimes addresses of everyone that has helped me in the past.

I looked around, the street was dark, even with the bright street-lamp, and I could practically feel the creepers of the night coming out of the shadows. I put my hand in my pocket and carefully pulled it out, once people saw it they would think it was just a stick but when I was taking it out someone could have thought it was a gun and shot me. But most of the time I was just always that paranoid about nothing.

I pressed the buzzer of apartment 308 twice slowly and then the third time quickly.

"Maddie! Is that really you?" Carla asked in her thick Spanish accent. I nodded, knowing she could see me through the camera perched above the door.

"Cariño! Come right in! the boys will be so happy to see you!" she screeched excitedly.

I heard the lock click on the door and went inside; Carla's apartment building was like a safe-haven from everything that was utterly terrifying in the outside world. I dashed up the stairs; something about elevators always freaked me out and walked casually down the hall. Carla was already waiting outside her door. She gathered me into a suffocating hug and I could smell her famous cooking wafting in from the apartment, even though it was the middle of the night.

"We missed you, Chiquita!" she said as we walked to the kitchen table.

"I missed you guys too, Carla. How are the boys?" I asked sitting down. Carla placed a big bowl of Gazpacho. "Oh, Carla-"

"No. Eat." She commanded, her mothering instinct kicking in. I dug in reluctantly, but I hadn't eaten since lunch and the food was great, as always. She sat across from me, starting to relax.

"The boys are doing great, but we're all worried about you, you seemed to disappear quite randomly." She said, a note of worry entering her voice. I sighed, thinking back to the last time I left Carla and the boys; that was when Bellatrix had found me and practically kidnapped me. I put down my spoon, suddenly losing my appetite.

"That was- well I- it's just-" I attempted an explanation, but couldn't find a lie.

"That's okay, Chiquita. You're here now and you're okay. Next time just warn us next time you want to leave." She reached a hand out and patted my own hand. "You know you're not trapped here."

I smiled, "Carla if I tell you something-" I was cut off by Carla's oldest boy, Javi. He was a few years older than me, after him were the twins, Eduardo and Alfonso, who were a few months older than me, then Andres, he was the only one born in England. When I had met them Carla was swollen with pregnancy, she moved here, and I came with them, a few months before Andre was born.

"Mami, Por qué eres tan fue-" Javi stopped dead when he saw me grinning up at him. "Hermana menor!" he hollered, calling me little sister even though I wasn't related to them, and scooping me up into a bone-crushing hug.

"Careful! You're gonna crush me!" I laughed. The other boys soon filed in, rubbing their eyes from sleep deprivation. The twins each put an arm on my shoulder.

"Hola, chica." Eduardo started.

"We've been worried." Alfonso continued. I smiled at their sometimes terrifying habit of reading each other's minds.

Andres just stared at me from behind a fog of happiness clouded by tiredness. I ruffled his hair.

"I think you should be getting to sleep, Chico." I said, accidentally giving Carla an idea.

"Maddie's right, mis niños. Time for bed. Chop, chop!" she clapped, the boys knew to always obey direct orders from their mother and they scurried off to their rooms, Andres and Javi in one and the twins in the other.

"Where should I sleep, Carla?" I asked, noticing there were no open rooms. She guided me to the couch and gracefully pulled it out into a bed, already made, minus the pillow and blanket of course.

"We've been expecting your return, Chiquita." She said, winking. I hugged her gratefully and flopped down on the bed, suddenly noticing how tired I was. Carla understood automatically and left me to drift into sleep.

I groaned as someone flung up the blinds and jumped on my stomach.

"Oh my god, Andre! You're gonna kill me!" I said picking him up off me and depositing him on the floor, after making him fly around like a plane of course. This confused me somewhat, he was 6, either I was stronger than I thought or he was miniature.

"God, Chico, you're tiny!" I cried, in response he blushed intensely.

"I know... it's not my fault." He said quietly, his English accent surprised me somewhat being surrounded by born-and-raised Spaniards.

"Oh, Chico, I'm sorry!" I said, gathering him into a tight hug.

"Maddie, can you come over here?" Carla called from the door; I heard the seriousness in her voice and walked over.

"Something wrong-" I started, and then cut off when I saw what was on the screen by the door, being carried through the camera outside.

Bellatrix was standing outside, pressing the doorbell insistently. I started opening the door, to go and tell Bellatrix to leave, when Carla grabbed my wrist.

"Are you sure you want to go down there?" she asked. I nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll be back." Her grip loosened, and I started the trek downstairs.

When I opened the door Bellatrix's face broke into an ugly smile, I got the feeling she didn't do it often.

"What do you want?" I snarled, viciously. She put her hands up in mock surprise.

"I'm here to take you back, _my_ child." She put emphasis on the word my, rubbing it in my face that I couldn't be legally alone now that she was there.

"How did you find me?" I said, not losing the edge in my voice. She pulled my address book from her pocket. My hand immediately flew to my pocket, where I always kept it.

"Ever heard of a spell called _Accio_?" She laughed bitterly as I snatched the small book from her.

"Leave." I commanded as I turned to buzz Carla's door. She grabbed my hand and pulled me out into the street. She forced my arm into the crook of her own and walked me along the sidewalk.

"Sweetie, I came to get you. The Dark Lord wanted to speak to you."

"I don't care, let go of me," I tried wrenching my arm from her grasp, but she was stronger than she looked.

"You are coming with me or else…" she paused as she pulled a small vial from her robes and let me look at it carefully. She gave it to me and I pulled the stopper and wafted the smell to my nose.

"Morticaine?" I said, recognizing the odorless poison. I always was one of Professor Snape's favorite students.

"Yes, I'm surprised. Well, Severus did always say you were very gifted in potions." She replied, taking the poison back as she continued pulling me down the sidewalk.

"Why do you need Morticaine, isn't it you signature to torture people into madness?" she laughed.

"Well, aren't you observant," she hissed, "Yes that is my favorite way of doing things. But I believe your little Muggle friends deserve something unique."

"You can't use poison," I sang, glad there was a flaw in her plan that I could use to shield my terror.

"Why not, love?" she matched my tone; I was surprised she could sound almost sane.

"Poison can be tracked, if you use poison the cops will find you," this seemed to amuse her immensely.

"If the Aurors can't catch me, what makes you think the Muggle police can?" My voice caught in my throat when I noticed she was completely correct. "So, you'll come back with me, you'll serve the Dark Lord _willingly_ and I'll let your friends live."

"How can I trust you?"

"Well, if I don't keep my word you'll probably be off, and the next time you leave I probably won't be able to track you, because if you're anything like me, which I know you are, you learn fast." I saw the logic in her words and saw there would be no alternative.

"Can I at least say goodbye?" I asked, fighting the tears that threatened when I thought about never being able to see the family I loved as my own blood.

"Fine, but make it quick." When I looked up I noticed we were back at Carla's apartment.

I made it as quick as I could, but soon after my goodbyes Carla was crying and little Andres was battling tears. The older boys were too _macho_ to cry, but I knew they would miss me just as much as their mother. I waved a final goodbye, making empty promises of returning soon and left, before I could break down into tears myself. It wouldn't do me any good if Bellatrix thought she could get to me that easily.

"Mmm-kay, Trixie. Do we apparate or what?" I asked when I got outside, putting on my best _you-can't-reach-me_ smile, the same one I had perfected over the years, it had a 100% guaranteed success rate.

**A/N I got the idea for Morticaine from a Harry Potter Fanon wiki. I don't own it.**


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